A video demonstrating a new game for Microsoft Surface has hit the web. The …

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Microsoft Surface is expected to bring multitouch computing to customers in environments where we would never have dreamed that computers might be useful. However, the project is still a huge work in progress; think about how long we've come since the first mouse and keyboard computer.

As part of this continuing research and development process, the Surface team has put together (with the help of Carbonated Games, a first-party game developer for Microsoft Game Studios) a very simple game that is being used to test and improve the software behind the futuristic table. What makes this game worthy of mention is that it "is among the first casual games to test the SDK." In other words, games for the Surface have been developed before, but the team is now using the SDK to make slightly more advanced games. Keep in mind, though, that Surface developer Kyle Warnick doubts the game "will ever see the light of day for people to play though." I'm not exactly crying my eyes out. The video below, courtesy of Sarcastic Gamer, shows the basics of the "proof of concept" game:

Granted, the first-ever game for Surface is far from anything to get excited about, no matter how fun or addictive Doc of Sarcastic Gamer says it is. There is an aspect, however, that deserves further consideration: multiplayer. The Surface can potentially allow the development of multiplayer games with a completely different gamestyle. Playing side-by-side with other players in addition to touch features is something that I would say could go very far if it weren't for two things: motion-sensing games (think Wii controller) and gaming over the Internet. I cannot see how there is room for games on something like the Surface, but casual gaming is a market that seems to be expanding unpredictably. As we've seen recently, there is a huge demand for games that are simple, fun, and interactive.

If some version of Microsoft Surface makes it to the home (which is exactly what Microsoft wants), I personally hope that multitouch gaming applied to current games becomes a reality, and not just something to orgasm over while watching a demo of it on YouTube.